Checkmate
by Xkarz Ravensin
Summary: Six months after the events of Anti-Raven, a new, old, and familiar presence appears in Jump City: Slade! And he isn't alone. He's brought all the baddies back with him. His targets: the Zodiac, a band of criminals who kill criminals. In the final story in the Zodiac series, the Titans must ally with the Zodiac to take Slade down. But will they succeed? Find out in Checkmate!
1. Prologue: Defeat

_**Oh emm geez I never thought Id get this far! I finally get to start dis story!**_

_**Um, this is the 3rd and final installment (Ohhh... tht was the word for it!) of the Zodiac trilogy. After this, I'll try 2 write lil' mini-adventures~ I hav a few kute ideas tht could get someone killed~**_

_**ALritey, enough of my rambling. Yall want 2 read dis story, so u shall~**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE TEEN TITANS, JUST THE ZODIAC. I JUST USED RANDOM NAMES, BTW, SO IF YOUR REAL NAME IS IN THIS STORY, JSYK, I DUN KNO U IN R-E-E LIFE, KK?**_

Prologue:  
Eleven children limped into a deserted alley at a time before dawn, a look of defeat on their face.

Though none looked more defeated and worn as the head of the group, who was carrying the body of a young adult female.

There was no need to force blood out of the Zodiacs; they were all bloody and battered. Libra wiped blood off of her cheek and placed it on the bricks. After a second, the bricks opened up, revealing a pathway down into the sewers. Libra lead her team downwards, not even flinching as the dim light behind them faded as the tunnel closed up.

After walking a few steps, she turned to the disgusting, mildewy sewer wall and wiped some more of her blood on its surface. The wall opened up, revealing another corridor. Once again, Libra lead the way, holding the body carefully, so that she didn't brush the stone walls.

The hallway was short, and once again, there was a stone wall. This one appeared to be as disgusting and unappealing as the other walls. As Libra raised a hand to wipe more blood on the surface, a young child placed a hand on her arm, shaking her head. Libra nodded and lowered her hand. Scorpio flicked her blood onto the wall from a bloody cut on her palm, and the wall parted, revealing a sort of clean, well-lit lobby, a stunning contrast to the sewers from where they had just came. The Zodiacs stepped inside, and the wall closed up behind them. There were couches in the corner, and eight children were automatically upon them, falling almost instantly asleep.

The remaining three stood near the entrance, obviously exhausted.

"We had lost..." The realization had finally sunk in. Pisces had felt a tear fall from her face as she said those words.

"We lost more than the battle..." Libra still carried the dead body of her Zodiac comrade, Virgo. The pretty plant-wielder was almost unrecognizable from the many wounds she suffered in keeping the younger Zodiacs alive. Blood still dripped repetively onto the floor from not just Virgo's body, but from the three living Zodiacs as well.

"What shall we do, Libra?" Scorpio's eye were focused on her Leader and Mentor. "If they stay here for a long time, then we can't collect the blood we need. And if we can't collect the blood we need, we'll lose our powers."

"Our first priority at the moment is the vigil for Virgo, followed by the search for another Virgo." Libra said. "As Leader, it is my duty to prepare the body. Get some rest," she added to her Zodiacs, who were weary from battle and pain. "We shall hold vigil tomorrow night."

Pisces and Scorpio nodded before disappearing down a hallway towards their rooms.

"Pisces? Do you think we'll be alright? We've never lost with Libra before." Scorpio was worried. She remembered Libra's Leadership ceremony when Sagittarius died, about a year and a half ago, and how she was named Apprentice, since there were no other chosen Apprentices.

Libra hasn't lost in a year and a half, which is a record. But even though the records' been set, Scorpio's trust wavered.

"We're not perfect. Libra's not perfect." Pisces said. She's been around for two reigns. "We'll win and we'll lose. Simple as that. But," she added, seeing that Scorpio still wasn't convinced, "this was the most difficult battle the Zodiac's ever faced, and we didn't go down without taking some others with us."

Scorpio nodded, pride alight in her eyes as she remembered the two villians she had struck down. True, they were just amateurs, not even worth mentioning, but they were also dangerous.

The two Zodiacs reached their rooms, which were across from each other. Pausing at her doorway, Scorpio looked back at Pisces. "So, we will be okay? We won't lose any more friends?" she asked.

Pisces forced a smile upon her face. "We won't lose any more Zodiacs, Scorpio. I promise."

Reassured, Scorpio walked into her room and shut the door.

Pisces' smile faded. She had lied to calm the young Zodiac down. They've never faced a battle like this. Yes, members come and go, but it's never come to when the entire Zodiac lost so completely. To say Pisces was worried about the Zodiacs' future would be an understatement. She was completely, utterly, entirely concerned with not only her own wellbeing, but all the others as well, especially for their Leader, Libra. Now that Virgo was dead, Pisces was the oldest Zodiac. She needed to help in some way, other than fighting, which she was terrible at. Maybe healing. She was good with that.

Pisces yawned. Save the worrying for the next evening, when they'd have to deal with the new Virgo. It was time to rest.

* * *

Libra clasped Virgo's Tiara in her hand, the Virgo Crescent glittering in the sunlight. In her shadow form, she slunk down the crowded streets, flitting between the shadows of the happily chatting people and the cars that crawled along the busy roads.

The Virgo Crescent hadn't glowed in the hours she had spent searching for the new Virgo. She left just after dawn, after preparing Virgo's body for her vigil. Libra hadn't slept for almost twenty-four hours, but she couldn't rest until she has the new Virgo at the hideout.

Was it her imagination, or was the Virgo Crescent glowing?

Yes! It was! Libra was near the park. As she traveled further into the park, the Gem glowed brighter, until she could see, up ahead, the little girl that was to be the new Virgo. Dressed in the same green as the Virgo Crescent, she was sitting down on a park bench, seeming to wait for someone. Her green shirt and pants were tattered and holey, and, as Libra drew closer, she could see that her face was dirty, her brown hair oily and knotted from lack of proper brushing. She was an orphan.

Libra rose up in the bushes and walked up calmly to the girl so as not to alarm her.

"Greetings."

The small girl looked up at Libra. She smiled, and the Zodiac Leader noticed that her teeth were yellow.

"Hi!" the girl greeted her. "Are you here to help me find my mommy?"

Libra looked at the orphan questioningly. "Your 'mommy'?

"Yeah!" The girl stared off into the distance. "She needed to go do something, and she told me to wait here until she came back."

"How long ago was this?"

"A long time! So long, I can't even count that high!"

Libra thought it over. "How old are you?"

"I'll be four soon! On the second of September! That's when my mommy will be back" the girl said cheerfully. "Even though I'm not sure when that is..." Her face fell slightly.

Libra said, "Today is September third." The little girl's face fell even more.

"Oh..." was her only response.

"What did she look like?" Libra asked.

"She had pretty curly hair that was brown, and she liked this green." She indicated to her green outfit. "She dressed in it alot, even her hood! And she was really pretty! When I grow up, I wanna be just like her!" The small girl smiled.

Libra felt realization hit her like a punch to the stomach. The girl had looked familiar, and the Gem's reaction, plus the child's description of her mother confirmed it.

This was Virgo's daughter, who was desined to be the next Virgo.

"Child, I know where you mother is."

Nothing could dim the happy gleams in the child's eyes. "Will you take me to her?" she asked eagerly.

Libra nodded and extended her hand to the girl, who took it eagerly.

"My name is Alicia, by the way," Virgo's daughter introduced herself.

"I'm..." Libra's mind was a blank as they walked out of the park. She had forgotten her name. True, she never had a real name to begin with. It was as if she was born known as Libra.

"I'm known as Libra, Alicia." she said finally.

"Okay, Libra!" Alicia said. "Where are we going? I don't really know this place well."

"It's alright. I know where we are going." Libra turned down a seemingly dead end alley. She opened up a wound on her knuckles and sprayed the blood across the wall. The bricks parted, revealing a hidden pathway down into the sewers. Leadering the way, as Leaders do, Libra walked down the pathway without a moment's hesitation, pulling little Alicia along.

* * *

"No!"

Alicia's grief-striken wail pulled all the Zodiacs' attention to her as she tried to hug Virgo's body while it was laying in the coffin. The dead Zodiac had been washed off the blood, save for the blood painted on her forehead in the Virgo symbol. Her hair was now restored to its original state of a deep brown and faint curly wisps. She was dressed in all grey, the color of death in the Zodiac. Her jade-green robes hung nearby, rinsed clean of blood and shining softly in the dim light.

Alicia cried as she stroked her mother's hair, the closest thing she could do besides hug the lifeless corpse.

Libra stood nearby, unable to comfort the small child. Pisces placed a hand on Alicia's shoulder and gently pulled her away from the coffin and to a seat which was placed on stage for the initiation. After the child was seated on stage, Pisces took her seat among her fellow Zodiacs.

Once everyone was seated, Libra began to speak.

"It is with great regret that I announce what is already known: Our great comrade, Virgo, has fallen in battle."

Alicia began to cry.

"Virgo was nineteen years old, considered an elder among us, since we rarely live as long. She always sprouted hope of victory with her thorns. And she will always be remembered by her final act: Protecting all of you from the clutches of Death that she has fallen into herself."

There were sounds of crying in the crowd. Oddly, Libra felt nothing. But to everyone else, it appeared that she was just being a strong, confident Leader.

"Honorable Virgo," she continued, "please rest, for you deserve it. However..."

Libra walked over to Alicia and held out a golden tiara with a glistening green Gem imbedded within.

"In your supreme presence, Virgo, I bestow upon your chosen one your powers of nature. May she always use them to perform our sacred duty."

Libra took a breath.

"In your presence, I hereby dub this child Virgo, the Stubborn Gardener."

A brilliant jade-green light filled the large room, fading as soon as it came. The new Virgo was gone, as well as her mother's body. The Virgo Crescent was resting neatly on the chair, as if set there. Virgo's robes were gone also.

The auditorium-like room was filled with silence, waiting anxiously on the egde of their seats. Only Libra seemed calm, staring intensely at the tiara.

What seemed like hours later, though it was only a few minutes, another burst of the jade-green light was emitted, and Alicia was sitting back in the chair, the Virgo Crescent placed on her head and wearing the jade-green robes of Virgo.

Her tears were gone, and she looked powerful, radiating with a newly-implanted confidence.

"I graciously accept the title." Alicia said in an adult manner.

Libra nodded. The Zodiacs cheered as the Leader said the closing words:

"Welcome, Virgo, to the Zodiacs."


	2. Chapter 1: An Offer You Can't Explain

Chapter 1: An Offer You Can't Explain

_**WOW GUISE IM SOOO SRRY THT I HAVENT BEEN POSTING REGULARLY! IM RLLY RLLY RLLY RLLY SRRY!**_

_**But ykno, school and stuff. Plus, February 17th was my B-day. Im 15 niaow :033 But as my birthday present 2 u guise, Imma post wat I have niaow while I still got time**_

_**DISCLAIMER (WHICH I ALMOST FORGOT): I DONT OWN TEEN TITANS, JUST THE ZODIACS AND THE RANDOM LIL VILLIANS I MAKE UP, K?**_

Six months had passed since the events of Anti-Raven, but the Titans have no recollection of that night. Oddly enough, they never questioned it. If they don't remember, then, they supposed, that it wasn't that important.

But, nevertheless, they knew something was seriously wrong with their city.

Criminal rate has gone up rapidly in the past six months by villians they sworn were gone for good. The Titans were frantic and weary trying to round them all up.

And there's been no sign whatsoever of the Zodiac, other than the occasional disappearance of a retired criminal. Twelve, two for each month that's gone by.

One night, the Titans were investigating a robbery in a warehouse on the other side of town. When they got there, all was quiet around the perimeter. No one in sight. The moon provided little light, waning into a crescent. Yet, there might be crouching theives or Zodiacs lurking, waiting to ambush the weary group.

Robin waited at the enterance to the warehouse when the rest of his team regrouped with similar reports: All was quiet.

"That doesn't make any sense. The computer said that there was a robbery in progress at the warehouses." Robin said, frustrated.

"Did we recieve the wrong location?" Starfire asked. "Or perhaps we missed our target objective?"

"Not possible. We headed over as soon as we could. We'd still at least see some guards." Raven quipped up.

"There's something... off about this..." Robin glanced at his fellow Titans. They were all thinking the same thing.

Libra.

Situations like this, where a dark, menacing presence loomed over them, that was their first conclusion. And, usually, they were right. But due to the stunning lack of murderous little children running around, there was doubt.

Robin nodded and kicked the door open, yelling, "Freeze!"

But none of them were prepared for what awaited them inside.

The Titans stood in shock as they took in the scene in front of them.

The first thing that anyone registered:

Blood...

Everywhere.

It's iron-like scent, so strong you can almost taste it.

It's consistent dripping from the steel braces and wall, even flowing heavily in miniature red waterfalls.

It was under their feet and all over the floor, pooling up frequently in large amounts and creating medium-sized puddles. It obscured the real color of the floor...

It stained the entire room red.

Unless you could fly, you were stuck walking in the shallow red pond of once-life essence.

Beast Boy shifted into a hawk and flew to a torn part of the wall, where it caved in, like something forced their way through the steel wall, and created a perch that wasn't completely covered with blood.

For Robin and Cyborg, Raven created a moving platform of black energy to levitate them over the blood. She and Starfire flew above the blood, scanning for anything in the sea of red.

Robin turned on his flashlight, and Cyborg turned on the one light he has in his shoulder. Starfire used her hands, making them glow light green with her unreleased starbolts.

There wasn't just a sea of blood; there were piles of robotic bodies all over the place, torn up beyond recognition, but all five Titans knew what that meant.

Slade was back!

Gorilla fur was also scattered everywhere, along with other kinds of animal fur that were too blood-soaked to be identified.

Beast Boy was the first to know whose fur that was.

"Monsieur Mallah!" he gasped when he shifted into a human and examined the fur.

"The Brotherhood of Evil?" Raven asked. "But, we were victorious against them in the final battle." Starfire pointed out.

"Slade must've freed them." Robin said.

"And gotten a few animals to rise with them." Cyborg picked up a few tufts of the fur. He scanned them with his arm scanner.

"Cougars, lions, rams, even animals that don't even exist! I'm picking up chimaera, coeurl, even a bit of dragon!" Cyborg gave the scanner a puzzled glance. "Strange. Each fur sample has the same genetic makeup, like they're all the same animal."

Everyone turned to look at Beast Boy.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The changeling raised his arms defensively. "You guys don't seriously think that I'm the one who caused all this!"

"Well, you are the one who can assume the many creature forms." Starfire pointed out.

"Can't be him." Cyborg said. "The furs come in different colors. He can only be green."

"Then who is it?" Robin asked.

"I don't know."

The Titans continued to search the bloody room. They were almost finished when Starfire's sudden scream made them all flock to the corner, where a little girl's bloody body lay, dead.

She was too blood-stained to tell what color her clothes were, but she wore the familiar cloak of the Zodiacs. Other than that, she had short hair, again, color unknown, and her cobalt-blue eyes stared up at nothing. The cause of death seemed to be from the heavily bleeding injuries that crisscrossed her body. The sight made Starfire cry and almost made everyone else cry, except Raven, who's only remark was, "Whoa."

"Don't touch her!"

The Titans jumped and whirled around at the familiar voice of Libra. But she wasn't alone. Ten other children were with her, falling behind her in a somewhat orderly fashion. A pink-cloaked girl had tears in her eyes, and several others sniffed sadly. A young girl in jade-green just stood next to Libra's left side, holding her hand as she stared in shock at the dead girl. On Libra's right was a boy in a lab coat who glanced between the Zodiac Leader and the Titans.

"Don't touch her..." Libra repeated, voice softer. Her hood was up, masking her feelings, but her yellow cat eyes glinted sadly from her shadowed face.

"What happened here?" Robin's voice was cold, offering the group no sympathy.

"Our duty." Libra responded simply.

"Dude, no games," Beast Boy said boldly. "What went down?"

The boy in the lab coat looked at Libra. "We need to tell them. It's their battle too."

"No, it isn't!" Libra hissed, turning to face him. "Leo died, Cancer! Two of us had died! None of them had!" She indicated to the Titans. "I came back to collect Leo, not to tell our sob story!"

Cancer stood up to his full height as he stared down at Libra. "If you don't tell them, I will!" he said.

"You would dare defy your Leader? You know what that means, Cancer? It means you challenge my Leadership!"

"I don't care. Times have changed. So have the rules."

There was an audible gasp from the Zodiacs. Libra and Cancer glared at each other. The Titans stood, puzzled.  
Finally, Libra broke eye contact with a scowl. "Fine! Tell them! But remember the punishment for defying an order."  
Cancer nodded stiffly before turning to the Titans, eyes full of determination.

"It started six months ago, on the blood moon. We were performing our monthly ritual of recharging our Gems." Libra flinched when Cancer said this. He's revealing too much information, she thought.

"Libra had just put her Gem in when Slade and the Brother of Evil attacked. We were horribly outnumbered and were forced to retreat after losing Virgo. After that day, they were crawling the streets, searching for us. Only Libra and Capricorn could navigate around the city without confronting them. It was up to them to provide the kills for us to keep the Gems recharged. On every blood moon, the field where we would normally go was heavily guarded, so we had to perform the ritual on your roof. Our apologies, by the way," Cancer added, "for not having your permission, but we have to do what we must to survive.

"As for tonight-"

Libra scowled. "That's enough, Cer. They don't need to know anymore."

"Actually," Robin said, "I think you should finish the story."

"Tonight was an important raid for them. They were planning to take something dangerous from this warehouse, and we were here to intercept them. But Slade seemed to be one step ahead of us. He sent countless amounts of his robot slaves, as well as Monsieur Mallah, Professor Chang and his cronies, and the Happy Stabber." Cancer shuddered.

"I killed Happy Stabber, but not soon enough." Libra said reluctantly.

"He killed Leo." a cerulean-clad girl stepped up and stood beside Cancer. She wore cerulean-streaked black bangs over half of her face, held there by a glittering cerulean pin. Water designs patterned her cloak.  
"You won't remember me, but my name is Scorpio." she introduced, and Libra hissed.

"We've revealed too much. Scorpio, Cancer, silence yourselves, or face the consequences more severe than you'll imagine."

Scorpio stayed quiet, but Cancer talked once more.

"Happy Stabber killed Leo, and we tried to take out as many criminals as we could, but, again, we were outnumbered and defeated. But we managed to get this, so it wasn't a total loss."

Cancer took a hand out of his pocket and withdrew a round, silver sphere. "We're not sure what it does yet, but-"

"Enough!"

Libra punched Cancer in the jaw, taking him by surprise, knocking him down to the blood-soaked floor. The silver object flew towards the Titans, but a shadow launched up from the ground and snatched it mid-air before bringing it back to Libra, who pocketed it somewhere in her cloak.  
"Let us leave in one piece," Libra demanded, and, for the first time, the Titans noticed how bloody, battered, and weary the Zodiacs looked, Libra seeming the most tired and bloody.

A black-cloaked boy who looked similar to Libra looked at the Titans. "Please?" he asked. "We're only trying to survive. We're only trying to help."

Robin cast a glance towards his fellow Titans, then they nodded simoutaineously. They were all thinking the same thing.

"Libra," Robin addressed the Zodiac Leader. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

"Philosophy doesn't suit you, Robin." Libra snarled. There was a silver glint from inside her cloak, and then she shot her silver knife from its depths. Raven intercepted the knife mid-air with her magic.

"What I'm trying to say is, you need help, and Slade is a big problem for both of us." Robin spoke gently to the Leader, who seemed on the brink of going completely insane from the situation.

"We can handle this war! We provoked this war for years, and we can beat them down."

"Then why haven't you?"

Silence as heavy as the scent of blood descended on the Zodiac Leader as she glared at Robin. She was refusing to admit she was weak. Always be stong. Sagittarius' first lesson was very painful, physically speaking. If she squinted and looked very closely, Libra could still see the scars on her arms from his shell shruikens that had imbedded themselves deep in her skin all those years ago.

Now, faced with the choice, she could asked for help, or she could just collect Leo and walk away. Either way, she'd be giving in. Asking for help, she'd give in to the Titans. Walk away, give in to Slade.

With a sigh that sounded like a growl, she gave Cancer, who was staring at her with earnest, an uneasy glance.

She looked back at her Zodiacs. Each one had fear and, worse, doubt, in their eyes, some more than others. Their uncertainty cut deep in Libra's pride as a Leader. She had made her choice.

Focusing cold, but admittingly fearful yellow cat eyes on Robin, she spoke words that may have brought all hell upon her and her team, as well as the Titans:

"You're right." Her Zodiacs gasped, but Libra ignored them and continued. "We need to work together in order to vanquish this enemy."

Taking a deep breath, she asked the question burning on everyone's tongue:

"Will you help us?"

_**PLOT TWIST: LIBRA HAS A SOUL- no.. she doesnt :033**_

_**Plz R&R. Reviews make me happy-face. :033**_


	3. Chapter 2: Decisions, Decisions

**_disclaimer: i dun own teen titans_**

Chapter 2: Decisions, Decisions

The silence that followed the offer was immense, though short-lived.

Robin nodded, then said, "If we are to work together, then we must know more about-"

"No." Libra's gaze was furious. "If that's your only reason to work with us, then consider the arrangement broken."

There. An alliance broken not five seconds after being made. Libra sank into the ground, a pool of grey amongst the dark-red blood. She traveled over to Leo's body. The shadow surrounded her and swallowed her up before making its way back to the other Zodiacs. Libra rose up out of the ground, carrying the young child's battered, broken body. Blood dripped from Libra and Leo, as if she swam through the blood to get to Leo, then dragged the body back through the blood.

"Farewell, Titans."

The Zodiacs sank into the ground and formed a pale grey shadow that traveled swiftly away before vanishing, seeming to be absorbed by the ground.

Robin looked at the other Titans.

Raven spoke first. "Her emotions are out of control. She's never been in this situation before. She's never had her team doubt her, or faced an enemy like Slade or the Brotherhood. She's more scared than she'll let anyone know."

"Like you?" Beast Boy joked, but it was strained, trying to ease the brick wall-like tension.

Cyborg shook his head as Raven shot the changeling a glare. "Too soon?" Beast Boy asked.

"Always."

"Guys, focus," Robin said. "No matter how much Libra refuses it, we're on the same side. We all hate Slade, and the Brotherhood." "Some more than others..." Beast Boy muttered, remembering his battles against them when he was with the Doom Patrol.

"So, we should assist the Zodiac in their battle against the Slade and the Brotherhood?" Starfire asked. "They did not want us to interfere."

"It's our battle, too, Star." Robin said. "Whether they like it or not."

"And we know for a fact they don't like it." Cyborg said, giving the area another shifty glance. There was something glittering amongst the carnage...

"D'you guys see that?" It seemed appropiate for him to whisper the question as he pointed to the glittering object.  
Robin walked over, knelt down, and picked it up. It was a teal necklace, clean despite the pool of blood it was lying in. The gem was in the shape of a prayer star, and seeming to have an ethereal essensce about it.

"It leaks the same energy as the Leo Gem Libra had when we first came in contact with her," Raven stated, taking the necklace delicately from the Titans leader and examining it.

"So, what does that mean?" Beast Boy asked, clueless, as usual.

"It means that this belongs to the Zodiac, and could be vital in helping us finding their hideout," Raven answered, slipping the necklace on and tucking it into her unitard. As soon as the Gem came in contact with her skin, a kind of static shock, startling but harmless, was shot through Raven's collarbone and traveled throughout her body.  
She must've gave a sort of outer reaction, because she was all of a sudden in Beast Boy's arms.

"Raven? You okay?" He asked her, green eyes wide with concern. "You almost fell."

Raven hid her blush with her hood and stood up. "What are you talking about? I feel fine!" she protested.

"You're probably tired. We all are," Robin said, a hand on the blue-cloaked Titan's shoulder. "Let's head back and get some rest." And by that, Robin meant, "Guys, get some sleep while I'm up all night investigating our clues."

"Yes, let us go and get the rest so that we may continue this search for the next day," Starfire said. She floated wearily above the blood.

All the Titans exited as they came, floating out, leaving nothing but bloody footprints that quickly filled up with the surplus amounts of the once-life essence that suurounded it.

_**Reading over this chapter, I realized I screwed up majorly. Whoops. Whatever. I'll fix it later.. or never, whichever comes first. R&R**_


	4. Chapter 3: Red X

_**YES I DIDNT SCREW UP X0DD**_

_**DISCLAIMER: IM LAZY.**_

_**COUNTERDISCLAIMER: IM LAZY**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN TEEN TITANS. YALL HAVE BENN W/ ME SINCE THE BEGINNING, SO U KNO WHO I OWN AND DONT OWN**_

Chapter 3: Red X

Back at the Tower, a shadow flitted on the island. At first, it seemed to be vanishing and reappearing at random times, but in truth, it was just moving too fast to see properly.

When the shadow paused at the Titan's doorstep, it turns out it wasn't a shadow but a person, dressed all in black with grey gloves, boots, and utility belt. A black skull mask obscured the human's face. Nevertheless, the cloaked figure still appeared male.

Okay, this is getting annoying, avoiding this man's identity like it's hot potato.

On his face and chest was an obvious red X.

Know who it is yet?

Yes, Red X was standing at the doorstep of the Teen Titans, seemingly reluctant to tread any farther.

"This is ridiculous..." he murmured. Red X awkwardly stood a little longer in the frigid weather til he said, "Oh, let's just get this over with!" and dashed inside. Immediately, the alarms blared, but went silent as the black figure of

Red X switched off the controls. In the living room now, he paused, listening for the hastened footsteps of the Titans.

Silence.

Alrighty then, Red X thought as he snuck out of the living room, through a few hallways, and down a creepy dark corridor, following a presence of something unnatural and tracing it to its source: Raven's room.

Red X stood at the door to her room. What did he really want to do with them? He was on his own side. No one else's.

Although...

He had his reasons.

He tentatively slid the door open and tip-toed inside. He suppressed a shudder as the air immediately became ten degrees colder and the dark shapes of Raven's dark items loomed out of the pitch-black of night.

The said Titan was sleeping somewhat peacefully on her side, facing the window, her hand resing in a pool of moonlight. She was twitching and muttering in her sleep, almost too quietly for Red X to hear. The most distinct words were, "Libra", "Tell me", and "Wait, what?", proving that Red X's suspisions were correct.

Raven had the Libra Jewel, his prize.

Creeping up to the Titan, he loomed over her, cutting off the moonlight pool. As he did so, Raven's eyes flew open, revealing shocked violet irises. She immediately leapt up and tackled Red X. Or, at least, attempted to. Red X had darted away at the last second, and Raven tackled the air. She stopped herself just before she hit the wall.

Red X snuck behind her and ripped the Libra Jewel from around Raven's neck before dashing down the hallway back to the living room, where he could at least gather his thoughts.

But when he arrived, the other four Titans were waiting, battle-ready. Raven phased through the roof to join them.

"Red X," Robin said. "It's been a while. Steal anything recently?"

"Actually, I could ask you five the same thing." Red X held up the Libra Jewel, dangling from the silver chain. It glinted in the light. "I know Libra hadn't handed it to you with her best regards."

"You know of the Zodiac?" Raven asked.

"You'd be surprised how much I know and don't."

"And we know you won't be getting away today!" Beast Boy snarled.

"Oh, you're so sure, Beast Boy?" Red X asked. "You don't know me at all, you know that, right?"

"We know that we're taking you down, and that's all we really need to know," Robin said.

"Easy, I'm not here to fight. Just offer a propisition. A kind of parley. You game?" Red X asked, tauntingly dangling the Libra Jewel from his hand.

"No, we are not wanting to play this 'game' you speak of!" Starfire said, preparing a starbolt in her palm. "We want you gone!"

"Now, now, sweetcheeks, don't get your panties in a twist. You don't know what I have to offer," Red X said.

"Don't talk to her!" Robin snarled. "If we even have a deal, you will only talk to me, no one else!"

Red X smiled underneath his mask. "Oh, I believe you entire team would be interested in what I have in mind. But first," he added, "I think you should see the real me."

Red X took off his mask, and instantly, the illusion was gone.

His chest swelled.

His hair lengthened.

And soon, it was evident.

Red X wasn't a guy...

Red X was a girl!

Beast Boy fainted from shock at this sudden genderbend of Red X. Red X gave the unconscious changeling a almost-concerned stare before focusing back on the four awake Titans.

"Er, I think that one will be alright..." he- I mean, she- said, though not looking too certain.

"Who...?" CYborg began, but didn't finish.

"Who am I?" Red X laughed. He-dangit, she- held his-her, I mean- helmet under her arm like a motorcyclist.

"The better would be, who aren't I?" Red X gave a white smile to the shocked Titans.

"Then what aren't you?" Starfire asked.

"Well, I'm not dead or inanimate, like an appliance or that sweet car in the garage-" Stay away from my baby!" Cyborg interjected, giving Red X a glare.

"Whatever." Red X rolled her eyes, which were a dark, mysterious, glittering maroon. "Anyways-"

"Who are you?" Robin cut through Red X's words with this simple question.

"Well, aren't you guys rude today! What, you've never started the day at..." Red X looked at a watch underneath her left grey glove. "...3:30 in the morning?" She covered her wrist back up before looking at the Titans. "Well, I suggest you get used to it."

Beast Boy woke up from his fainting and stood. "Alright, lemme get this straight," he said, and the author nonchalantly pulled up a blackboard and rolled it next to him. "Thanks, Xkarz." Beast Boy said. "No prob~" The author said with a smile before vanishing in mid-air. Everyone, even Red X, had a confused expression on their faces, stunned that Beast Boy knew the author.

Pretending that nothing out of the ordinary happened, Beast Boy grabbed a piece of chalk and began drawing and writing on the blackboard.  
"So, the Red X suit was created by Robin to get closer to Slade, find out what he's planning. But when Slade didn't believe it, Robin locked it up, never to see the light of day or night again." Beast Boy had crudely drawn a smiling, male Red X and Robin holding hands with the sun and the moon in the background, smiling as well. "But then some dude-sorry, dudette-" He shot a glance at the unmasked, feminine Red X before continuing, "jacked the suit from a maximum security vault, and wore it around, pretending to be a guy thief?"

"Not pretending," Robin pointed out. "The suit creates an illusion, and fitted to illuse me. Since a girl stole the suit, it immediately adjusted to disguise her as a guy who looks like me." "Not as fun as it sounds." Female Red X said. "It was tight and stuffy with the mask on. Believe me, looking like that-" She jabbed a thumb at Robin. "-ain't't all it's cracked up to be."

A vein popped up on Robin's temple, signifying that he was mad, but Red X paid it no mind. "Well, back to business," she said, holding the Libra Jewel up in her hand, watching it sparkle teal in the light. "You guys need help if you are to fight back Slade."

The Titans snapped out of their initial shock and grew serious once more. "What's in it for you?" Robin asked, attempting to take charge of the situation.

"Why do you always assume that I want something?" Red X twirled the necklace in the air.

"Because you only looking out for yourself, remember?"

"True. What I want is to be safe, not pounced on by any competition, if you catch my drift." Red X's eyes glittered like a hard, maroon-colored gem.

"You want freedom and protection in exchange for an ethereal object of extreme power?" Raven asked.

"Yes."

"That's it?!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "You'd think a villian'd want more, and, like, keep the Gem and do all sorts of evil magic with it, and take over the world and everything!" Robin shot Beast Boy a warning glare, telling him to shut up before Red X got any ideas.

"Yes, you would think that, wouldn't you?" Red X asked. "Then I guess I'm not a villian. Surprise, surprise."

There was a moment of silence as the Titans weighed their decisions. A powerful Gem, probably the most powerful in the Zodiac, possibly the world, in exchange to give up chasing the most elusive criminal, besides Slade, in all of Jump City.

Just then, the alarm rang, signalling a criminal activity being done in the city. Robin rushed to the computer, whereas Red X threw on her mask, and instantly she looked like a guy again. "Trouble," Robin said.

Red X began sneaking away.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Cyborg grabbed her cape, preventing the shadowy thief from escaping.

"Let me go! If I can't strike a deal with you guys, then maybe the Zodiac would be more willing," she protested, trying to pull free. But with Cyborg's superstrength, she couldn't.

"No, we aren't done talking about this," Robin shouted back at her. Beast Boy ran away and came back with his nasty, smelly bedsheet. "Tie her up with this."

Cyborg grinned mischieviously as he did so. "Nice one, BB."

"Thanks!" Beast Boy smiled triumphantly.

"Uh, guys?" Raven asked. "We should probably go." The indicator on the computer screen showed two symbols inside some warehouse: A sharp, black S in an orange circle, and an equally sharp and black Z inside a grey circle.

"Titans, go!" Robin said, and all five Titans rushed out the door.

Red X waited until they were gone before tearing through the sheet with one of her X-ninja throwing stars.

"Disgusting," she muttered. Stretching a little bit before standing, she followed the Titans to the warehouse, no more than a black shadow trailing after them.

**_ANOTHER PLOT TWIST: RED X IS A GURL_**

**_Actually, she's my human Homestuck OC._**

**_Same diffurence :033_**


	5. Chapter 4: Was There Any Point To This?

**_Dang its been a while. I appologize. Sorta._**

**_Ive been busy being a procrastinator, ill admit. Ive been typing it up school, but lunch is only half an hr, so not much was done, and ive been distracted half the time, soo...yeah. Only 2 chapters 2day._**

**_Im sorry 4 the next few awful chapters. It feels like Im merely dancing around a plot point that doesnt exist_**

**_DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN TEEN TITANS._**

**_TRUTHCLAIMER: I OWN THE ZODIACS_**

Chapter 4: There Is Literally No Point To This Chapter... OR IS THERE?

Libra brought her arms up to defend her face, but at the last second, Dr. Light shot his light-ray through her stomach, sending her flying through the air and hitting the opposite wall of the warehouse with a sickening CRACK! She slid down to the floor, unconscious.

"Sis!" Capricorn shouted. He hadn't meant to, and the confused look on Dr. Light's face told him that he said too much. Capricorn shot a ray of his dark powers at him. Easily, Dr. Light deflected it with his light shield.

"Fool! Darkness cannot extinguish light!"

"Watch me!" Capricorn snapped, rushing towards the thief while throwing out his dark-infused knives at him. Dr. Light deflected them with his shield as well before shooting a light blast out of his palm. Capricorn swerved and focused his mind on his Capricorn Opal, the indigo ring he wore on his left forefinger. Immediately, he was inside Dr. Light's mind, a large, black room with no discernible walls. Pictures flashed by, too much of a blur to see properly. Only Gemini would be able to see them clearly. Either way, there was a lot more inside Dr. Light's head than Capricorn would have originally thought.

Capricorn waited a bit before speaking. "Feel fear..." he whispered.

Instantly, the moving pictures stopped and turned black. They melted to the unseen floor, making a pure black puddle amongst all the faded black of Dr. Light's mind. Then, the puddle spread, creeping along the floor and up the walls.

Capricorn opened his eyes. He was back in the warehouse, slumped against the wall. He guessed that Dr. Light's light ray hit him and sent him towards the wall. Lucky for him, he suffered nothing more than a large bruise on his skull. Nothing Pisces couldn't heal.

Now, the light-based villain cowered in a corner, looking feeble and weak. "P-pl-please... n-no more d-darkness... n-no dark..." He kept whimpering and muttering when Capricorn walked over and stood over him, his throwing knives in hand. Shoving two blades deep into Dr. Light's shoulders, he hoisted the villain up by the knife handles.

"Your body will make a wonderful sacrifice," the Zodiac said before twisting the blades in his torso, finding a sadistic delight in the tortured screams of Dr. Light. Blood poured over Capricorn's hands and splattered across his face. Dr. Light's eyes were wide, at first, but then they slowly rolled into his head as his face went pale and cold with death.

Capricorn dropped the body and ran to Libra. Another Zodiac was there already. It was Gemini, the Screech. He was trying to set her arm and leg in a kind of makeshift cast made from the planks he probably found lying around.

"Gem!" Capricorn called to the kid, and Gemini turned. His sandy-brown hair was wet with blood, and some stained his yellow judge robes and skin. Was that his? "Are you hurt?" he asked his friend.

"I hope not," Gemini remarked, looking at the blood. "I don't believe I was hit, but we were attacked earlier when we were shopping for some supplies." The nicer, less intimidating Zodiacs went shopping for the group. Pisces, Scorpio, Leo, Gemini, and now the cute little Virgo. And since Can, half of Cancer's split personality, was gone, Cancer could go as well.

"By who? Did you guys win?" Capricorn was itching to know. Before Gemini could speak, however, a commanding voice yelled, "Freeze, Zodiacs!"

Capricorn groaned and turned around. "You guys have the worst timing," he told the Titans.

"Seems like a good time to me," Cyborg said.

"And she's coming with us." Robin pointed to the still-unconscious Zodiac Leader.

"Good luck with that," Capricorn said, and he and Gemini stood protectively in front of Libra.

"She ain't even awake!" Cyborg pointed out, prepping his Sonic Cannon.

"Which means you three can't escape," Raven finished, eyes white with unreleased magic.

Capricorn smirked. A puddle of darkness surround him, Gemini, and their unconscious Leader. Luckily, the warehouse was dim. If it were light, he wouldn't be able to travel.

As the Zodiacs sank into the ground, Cyborg shot his Sonic Cannon at them. Capricorn was hit square in the chest, and the dark puddle disappeared as soon as the Zodiac lost contact with it. Capricorn flew back and hit a crate. He promptly blacked out.

When Capricorn woke, he, Gemini, and a now-awake Libra were tied to chairs and in a harshly-lit interrogation room.

Libra didn't look very well. Her right arm and leg was set in a cast. Blood matted her straight brown hair, revealed since her hood was off. She was twisting in the chair, writhing to try and break free, if only to fix it. She was too weak to use her shadow powers to flee, and there was a glaring absence in her energy, since her Libra Jewel had been stolen.

Then, Capricorn noticed an absence of his own energy. Looking back at his hand, he saw...

Nothing but skin.

His Opal was gone!

"Gem!" he hissed to Gemini. But Gemini was still out. Capricorn craned his neck to better see his friend's neck.

Yep, his Gemini Jewel was gone too.

"Capricorn." Libra focused her fiery amber eyes on him. "What happened? Why are we here?"

Capricorn was about to explain when a tired and cranky Titans Leader walked into the room. He sat down at a metal table a few feet in front of the captive Zodiacs, and that was when Capricorn saw their Gems.

It was only his Opal and Gemini's Jewel, among other things that the Zodiacs had on them: the old, grey communicator the Good Raven made six months ago, fruit snacks, their weapons, and a strange, purple, triangle piece they managed to keep away from Dr. Light.

Robin noticed Libra eyeing the piece. He picked it up and held it in front of her face. "What does this do?"

Libra scoffed. "Heck if I know." Her amber eyes glinted, revealing nothing but hate for the Titan.

"Tell me what this is for, or else," Robin threatened.

"Or else what?" Libra asked. Capricorn chose to stay silent.

"Or else we'll find out if this thing is glass." Robin stood and raised the object, about to smash it into the ground.

"Stop!" Capricorn said. Libra hissed under her breath a string of swear words. Robin paused, looking at Capricorn expectantly.

"W-we honestly don't know," Capricorn admitted. "B-but we try and stop Slade and the Brain from getting them. We know they're up to something really bad-"  
"So why do you keep getting in our way?" Libra growled at Robin, cutting Capricorn off.

Robin set the purple piece down, sitting himself back down at the table. "We aren't trying to stop you from getting to Slade, we're trying to stop you from attacking the citizens of Jump City," he explained wearily. All these sleepless nights have been getting to him.

"We don't attack innocents," Gemini said calmly. He was finally awake and seemed to have an air of tranquility that Libra needed. "We, in our own way, protect them."

"By scaring them and making them think they're next?" Robin asked harshly.

"By killing those that try to harm them!" Libra spoke up. She was seething with fury.

"Answer me this, then. Why do you care?" Robin asked.

The room fell silent as Libra thought of an answer. After a few minutes, she spoke.

"...It was something we were chosen to do."

The earth trembled. Robin jumped up, startled, but Libra smirked. "Looks like our ride's here," she commented. The floor underneath them tore.

"Libra!" Cancer leapt out, along with...

"Red X?!" Robin exclaimed.

"Miss me?" Red X asked. Her helmet was on, and her voice was disguised again.

"Cancer! Knock out the light!" Capricorn shouted.

"I'll do more than that!" Red X answered for Cancer. She threw an X-shruiken at the bulb, darkening the room immensely. Cancer grabbed the Zodiacs' things before running over to Libra.

"You alright?" he asked. "Ask me that after we get out of here!" Libra snapped, wriggling in her seat. Cancer complied and untied her. "Get the others," Libra commanded, leaping up, but immediately regretted the action when she landed hard on her broken leg. Cancer moved to help her, but suddenly Capricorn was there. The darkness had released him from his inability to become a dark pool.

"I'll help her, Cancer. Please go help Gemini," the dark-wielder told Cancer before taking hold of Libra's shoulder and pulling them both into the darkness. They slithered over to the weapons that Cancer had dropped to help Libra, before moving towards the hole and disappearing over the side of it.

Red X was having a grand old time distracting Robin.

"Hey there, big boy~" she purred behind Robin. Robin whirled around to punch her, but his fist hit empty air. Wary, he backed away, towards the wall. At least there he was safe from attacks from the rear. It was very dark in the interrogation room: he could hardly see the light switch that was three feet to his right, let alone a pitch-black figure that was-

"I'm still here~" Red X's disguised voice was right next to him. But Robin was ready this time. He punched her right in the belt, damaging it. Red X swore and backed away, but she was no longer fast enough to outrun Robin's flying side kick to her mask. It cracked over on of the eyes.

"Crap!" Red X's voice was back to normal now. The illusion dispersed, and Red X looked like a girl again. "Great, just-"

"X!" Cancer and Gemini were waiting for the thief, oddly enough. They were perched at the edge of the hole.

"Sayonara, Robin." Red X ran towards them.

"I don't think so!" Robin chased her down, but to no avail, she jumped into the hole and got away, followed by Gemini and Cancer. As soon as Cancer jumped in, the hole sealed itself up, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Now, you'd think that this whole scene, what with a giant hole popping up in the middle of a room and fighting and all that loud stuff, everyone within a five-mile radius of the incident, including the Titans inside the Tower, would've heard this commotion.

Welp, you'd be wrong.

Robin's interrogation room is virtually soundproof. No joke. How else would the Titans get any sleep, what with Robin's usual yelling at the poor villain strapped to that chair, or chairs, depending on the situation.

So Robin was all alone in that room, rushing around, trying to find at least some kind of crack he could use to find the gaping hole that was there literally three seconds ago.

* * *

"You lie!"

Libra pinned Red X up against the sewer walls. A teal necklace falls from Red X's to the floor and shattered uselessly on contact with the grimy floor.

She and Red X were just outside the Zodiac Headquarters, since the shadowy Zodiac was interested in Red X's claim to have gotten her Gem back. What Red X wanted was to not be considered a criminal, since she wasn't, really. But when she pulled a prayer star-shaped teal necklace on a black cord, Libra grew enraged.

And that's pretty much what happened up to this point, but for those who care, Cancer and Gemini are back in the Headquarters after dropping Libra and Red X off inside the sewer tunnels.

"How'd you guess-?" Red X's reply was strained due to Libra's hands on her neck.

"You don't think I wouldn't recognize my own Gem?" Libra hissed. God, this was painful, using her broken arm on this pathetic thief, and standing on her minorly fractured leg.

"Merely wanted you to consider the deal I was going to make besides my name taken off the hit list," Red X responded calmly, despite the situation she was in. "I also wanted to break this news lightly, but I guess we're gong for the hard way.

"When I found out you've been captured, I wanted to find you. But when I was going to tip off one of your members about your disappearance, I was jumped by the Brotherhood." How Red X knew of the Brotherhood, Libra didn't know, or particularly care, at this point in time. She knew what Red X was going to say before she said it.

"They took your Gem."

_WHAM!_

Red X dropped to the floor, a hand on her jaw. The shattered remains of her helmet clattered loudly as it hit the stone floor.

"Son of a-"

"Listen to me," Libra growled, picking Red X back up by the hair. Libra may be a full five inches shorter than Red X, but that didn't seem to matter. Now, it seemed that Libra was the bigger man- er, woman- er, girl.

"This mess is your fault. Fix it, or else," Libra hissed in Red X's face.

"Al-alright, alright, I'm on it." Red X looked terrified, for once in her life. This girl scared her more than Slade and the Brain combined. Okay, maybe not combined,  
and maybe not Slade, but Libra definitely scared her more the Brain.

Libra dropped her roughly, practically throwing the thief into the sewer water. "Eww, gross! It's on my face!" Red X yelped. "Aw, now it's in my mouth!"  
When Red X finally scrambled out of the water, Libra was gone. Red X spat the sewer water out of her mouth.

"Back to square fricken one..." she grumbled, picking up her shattered helmet and standing. Looks like she'll have to possibly con Robin into programming another one- or she could find possible blueprints to the helmet, use actual effort, and reconstruct it.

...Second option it is.

With a sigh, Red X walked out of the sewer and towards her home. Priorities first. Shower the sewage out, sleep til eleven, then she had to find those blueprints before she went after the Gem.

...Screw her life.

_**Wow, going over this, I realized something.**_

_**Half the words I use arent on the computer dictionary.**_

_**Like amongst.**_

_**Amongst is so a word.**_

_**...At least I think it is.**_


	6. Chapter : Therapy

_**Welp, I get distracted waaaaaaay easily.**_

**_Have fun._**

**_DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER IS A DISCLAIMER IS A DISCLAIMER IS AGGRAVATING WHEN U GOTTA DO IT 4 AAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL UR CHAPTERS_**

Chapter 5: Therapy

"Okay, just take a deep breath, Lib, and relax."

"You sure about this?"

"Yeah. You've been stressed to the max lately. It isn't healthy. Just trust me."

Libra and Gemini were in Libra's room. The room was set up like a sort of dark, demented therapist's room, which is what they were doing. Dark, demented therapy, in a way. Libra lay down in her bed, rather awkwardly, because of her arm and leg. Pisces was asleep, and Gemini practically forced Libra to wait til morning instead of bothering the pretty pink Zodiac.

Gemini was right. Libra was majorly stressed. She's been like that for the past six months, ever since Slade and the Brotherhood of Evil teamed up to take them down. And when Slade stole her Gem, which somehow ended up with that thief, Red X, and then the Brotherhood stole it back for their side. Now all they had to do was kill Libra, wait a month, and then the Libra Jewel would be theirs to control. This was like a nightmare- no, it WAS a nightmare! Her nightmare.

And she couldn't wake up.

"Libra, stop worrying! It's hurting me to see your mental pain!" Gemini protested. He was using his powers of what he called "mind-delving". It was a justified system in which he read someone's thoughts and decided on whether they were evil or good. This didn't work so well with his fellow Zodiacs, since they were considered good and evil, so for them it was just plain ol' mind reading. His power was activated by touch. The more emotion-stirring the touch, the better results Gemini got. With Libra, this was most difficult, since she lacked emotion alot of the time.

Gemini had her hand in his, and his eyes were shut tight as he concentrated, one by one, on each of the worries that floated in Libra's mind.

_They doubt me..._

A memory floated by of a few days ago in in the warehouse, when Leo died in that bloodbath. It was of Libra and Cancer fighting. Gemini felt her hurt and anger at the fact that her right-hand man would even dare to protest against her, telling her what to do, even if he was right!

_Defeated... For the first time..._

Another memory, this time back at the first of many battles with Slade and the Brotherhood of Evil. It was at the end of that battle. They've all been captured, bloody, battered. Virgo was already dead, lying face-first in a pool of her own blood. Slade was standing triumphantly over a tied-up Libra, his boot on her cheek, about to squash her skull. The Libra Jewel was clutched in his fist, dangling from its silver chain.

"Give up, Libra," he said in his cold voice. "It's over. I win. And you lose."

Libra glared up at Slade with all her strength. "I... won't... give... up!" she spat with what felt like her dying breath.

Slade chuckled. "So be it." He pressed his boot harder on her cheek.

Shadows burst forth from Libra's body, twisting and writhing like serpents. They grabbed the Zodiacs and sunk them back into the ground. Meanwhile, Slade and his 'friends' were preoccupied by their shadows coming to life and attacking them. The Zodiacs escaped, luckily, but just barely. Coming home with a dead Zodiac in her arms not only damaged Libra's pride, but her confidence as well. How is she supposed to prevent this?

_My Gem..._

The Libra Jewel flashed in front of Gemini. He could feel the strong bond between the Gem and Libra. She must miss her Jewel alot. Maybe because she desperately needs the wisdom of the past Leaders. She must feel overwhelmed by all this chaos in Jump City, trapped by Slade and the Brotherhood. And... was that fear? Libra was fearful that the Zodiacs- no, HER Zodiacs, would get hurt, or worse. Gemini's body clenched. Libra played the part of emotionless Leader very well, didn't she?

An unprompted image flashed in Gemini's mind. It was of a small boy, who looked like Cancer, handing him a delicate rose in the middle of a familiar abandoned field of flowers. "Hey-" The boy spoke a name, but it was as if the scene skipped over it, like in a movie.

"Yeah-?" Gemini seemed to be a small girl in this...memory, perhaps? Again, the scene skipped the name.

"If someone were to take me away, would you be sad?" the boy asked. For such a small child, he was serious.

"Of course I'd be sad!" the girl Gemini was being said. "You're my best friend! Why wouldn't I be sad?"

"But would you miss me?"

"Yeah! Every day! You keep me company when I'm lonely and when Mommy and Daddy keep telling me to be a good girl, not to do anything bad, like stealing from the little kids and bullying them, even when they really really need to be punished." The girl seemed to forget her point, because she kept talking.

"They say that only grown-ups punish little kids. But what if the grown-ups are bad, huh, Ch-?" The boy's name was skipped over again, but Gemini could hear the beginning syllable. "Who punishes bad grown-ups?"

The boy shrugged with a sigh. Gemini saw that he seemed disappointed in the change of topic in their conversation. "I dunno," he said. The scene ended there, leaving Gemini with more questions than answers.

He opened his eyes. Libra's hand was slick with sweat, and trembling. Fear was alight in her cat eyes. She had seen that. But the memory of it was fading in her mind.

"...Lib?" Gemini asked. "Are you alright?" He clutched her hand tighter, both to reassure her as well as to make sure her hand didn't slip.

"...Wh-what did I see?" Libra asked. She was breathing slightly heavier than normal.

Gemini looked at her. He felt like he had to get to the bottom of this. "I'm not sure," he told her.  
Libra felt her heartbeat settle as the memory soon completely faded from her memory. Almost, anyways. She knew she saw something important, and...familiar, somehow.

"Is there anyway to bring it back, Gemini?" Libra asked. "Perhaps another look would give me more time to analyze it."

Gemini leaned closer. He felt that any emotionally stirring stimuli would bring the lost memory forth, just like holding Libra's hand had done. "Gemini, what're you-" Libra's question was interrupted by his kiss. Gemini's eyes were closed as he focused intently at the many images that passed by. However, they went by way too fast.

Gemini pulled away. Libra's cat eyes were wide with shock. She was speechless.

Gemini stood in the awkward silence for a second, before Libra finally found her voice and spoke.

"...We will never speak of this."

"Agreed." Gemini rushed out of Libra's room and to the bathroom. Grabbing his toothbrush, he began to obsessively clean his mouth. "I can still taste the shadows!" he said, spitting out the toothpaste foam for what was the sixth time brushing his teeth. "I can still taste the darkness..." he kept muttered even after he went to bed. "I can still taste the shadows..."

_**This chapter is mostly comic relief I guess? Suggested by my Ideas Manager Gemini, kinda to introduce the thought of LibCan as well as just cause a shipping war btwn LibCan and LibGem.**_

_**Have fun *insert evil yet awkward laughter here***_


End file.
